| Cross-border rail passengers warned of new year disruption, West Coast Mainline Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 15:17, 31st December 2025 |     |
From the BBC:
Cross-border rail passengers warned of new year disruption
Train passengers are being warned of disruption to cross-border services in the first week of the new year due to major engineering work.
Network Rail says the West Coast Mainline between Lockerbie and Carlisle will be closed from New Year's Day for six days.
Replacement bus services transport passengers between the two stations. Buses will also replace trains between Carlisle and Dumfries when the line is shut from Friday until 6 January.
The cross-border closure is part of a wider shutdown of the line to allow the installation of a new bridge at Clifton, near Penrith.
The 426ft (130m) bridge, which weighs 4,200 tonnes, will carry trains on the West Coast Main Line over the M6.
The removal of the previous bridge and the installation of the new structure begins on Hogmanay and will affect services on the line until 15 January.
Part of the M6 motorway will also be closed and Network Rail says it will use that opportunity to also replace more than 50 miles (80km) of overhead cables. And it added that "significant work" will also take place on an ongoing £61m upgrade to signalling systems north of Carlisle.
Rail passengers are being warned that the West Coast Main Line will be closed:
* From 1-4 January through Preston, between Oxenholme and Carlisle, and Carlisle to Dumfries and Lockerbie
* From 5-6 January between Oxenholme and Carlisle, and Carlisle to Dumfries and Lockerbie. The line through Preston will be open.
* From 7-14 January the line north of Carlisle will be open. The line between Oxenholme and Carlisle will be closed until the early hours of 15 January.
Engineers will replace the bridge over the M6 near Clifton
The M6 will be shut between junctions 39 at Shap and 40 near Penrith on two consecutive weekends.
The closures will take place between 20:00 on Friday 2 January and 05:00 on Monday 5 January, and between 20:00 on Friday 9 January and 05:00 on Monday 12 January.
William Brandon, Network Rail's project manager, said: "This is a vital project which will improve journeys for passengers for decades to come." He added: "We appreciate passengers' patience while this work is completed, and I would urge anyone planning to travel in this period to check National Rail Enquiries in advance."
Chris Liptrot, operations director at Avanti West Coast, said it would operate an amended timetable. "Some journeys between the north-west, Carlisle, and Scotland will involve changes onto a shuttle service as well as rail replacement buses," he added. "We strongly advise customers to plan ahead and check their journey before travelling."
Train passengers are being warned of disruption to cross-border services in the first week of the new year due to major engineering work.
Network Rail says the West Coast Mainline between Lockerbie and Carlisle will be closed from New Year's Day for six days.
Replacement bus services transport passengers between the two stations. Buses will also replace trains between Carlisle and Dumfries when the line is shut from Friday until 6 January.
The cross-border closure is part of a wider shutdown of the line to allow the installation of a new bridge at Clifton, near Penrith.
The 426ft (130m) bridge, which weighs 4,200 tonnes, will carry trains on the West Coast Main Line over the M6.
The removal of the previous bridge and the installation of the new structure begins on Hogmanay and will affect services on the line until 15 January.
Part of the M6 motorway will also be closed and Network Rail says it will use that opportunity to also replace more than 50 miles (80km) of overhead cables. And it added that "significant work" will also take place on an ongoing £61m upgrade to signalling systems north of Carlisle.
Rail passengers are being warned that the West Coast Main Line will be closed:
* From 1-4 January through Preston, between Oxenholme and Carlisle, and Carlisle to Dumfries and Lockerbie
* From 5-6 January between Oxenholme and Carlisle, and Carlisle to Dumfries and Lockerbie. The line through Preston will be open.
* From 7-14 January the line north of Carlisle will be open. The line between Oxenholme and Carlisle will be closed until the early hours of 15 January.
Engineers will replace the bridge over the M6 near Clifton
The M6 will be shut between junctions 39 at Shap and 40 near Penrith on two consecutive weekends.
The closures will take place between 20:00 on Friday 2 January and 05:00 on Monday 5 January, and between 20:00 on Friday 9 January and 05:00 on Monday 12 January.
William Brandon, Network Rail's project manager, said: "This is a vital project which will improve journeys for passengers for decades to come." He added: "We appreciate passengers' patience while this work is completed, and I would urge anyone planning to travel in this period to check National Rail Enquiries in advance."
Chris Liptrot, operations director at Avanti West Coast, said it would operate an amended timetable. "Some journeys between the north-west, Carlisle, and Scotland will involve changes onto a shuttle service as well as rail replacement buses," he added. "We strongly advise customers to plan ahead and check their journey before travelling."
